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If I had a benign lesion referred by my PCP to dermatology, I’d want a dermatologist to take a look at it. It’s never been difficult to get a dermatology appoi
by sjg007 6y ago
If I had a benign lesion referred by my PCP to dermatology, I’d want a dermatologist to take a look at it. It’s never been difficult to get a dermatology appointment.
- sungam 6y agoSituation may be slightly different in the NHS (national health service) where there is an overwhelming number of referrals from general practitioners for suspected skin cancer most of which turn out to be benign. As a consequence there is lack of capacity to see patients with other skin conditions. Of course it's always possible to see a private Dermatologist if you have health insurance or are happy to pay.
- sjg007 6y agoIf that’s true that sounds like a different problem. Maybe they need to train more dermatologists? And if there are appointments available privately well... I don’t know what to say. Seems like an structural systemic failure which is odd. Maybe dermatologists are gaming the system to induce private pay..
- sungam 6y agoThe number of Dermatologists trained in the UK is entirely decided (and paid for) by central government. UK Dermatologists have for many years highlighted the need for training of more consultants.
- sjg007 6y agoSure but the US has similar restrictions and problems. Medicare DME pays for almost all of the residency spots. In 2015 there were 400 dermatology spots in the USA. I guess one issue is travel time. A lot of folks don't live near cities and have access to specialty care.
- BlueTemplar 6y agoMaybe for you, I would have needed more than 3 months to get one. Thankfully in my case the issue seems to have been benign and was gone in a month.